YOUNG people who are over-coming major challenges to be successful have been celebrated in Warwickshire.

The awards evening marked the achievements of children brought up in foster homes.

Children aged as young as eight were recognised for their efforts in overcoming difficult circumstances at the Shaping Up awards.

The event aimed to mark the success stories among the 400 children brought up in care in Warwickshire.

Among them are historians, ornithologists, artists, promising sportsmen and women and a smattering of graduates.

Stephanie Cooper spent 13 years in foster care and was given an award after undertaking a research project into why so many women who grow up in care end up in prison.

Now married with two children, Steph, aged 23, of Stockingford, Nuneaton, said: "I read that around 22 percent of the female prison population grew up in care, compared to just 2percent of the male population and I wanted to follow it up."

One Rugby woman has even been inspired to go into social work in Warwickshire after directly experiencing the service for herself.

Kelly Starkey, from Rugby, was taken into care at the age of 13, exhibiting challenging behaviour.

As a result, she changed foster homes several times and barely went to secondary school.

She left school at 16, supported by the county council's leaving-care team and, with their help, eventually decided she wanted to be a social worker.

Now, she is completing a degree in social work at Portsmouth University and hopes to return to Rugby to develop her career.

The 24-year-old said: "I used to think my social workers didn't care about me or respect me, but now I have been able to learn about how their hands are tied in certain situations.

"Now I have looked at it from this point of view, as a professional, I can see why things were so hard.

"But a lot has changed since then and young people in care are listened to a lot more."

Lissy Cooke aged 18, is now studying English at Birmingham University after leaving Alcester Grammar School with good A-levels. She was taken into care three years ago, after family problems.

And council bosses are keen to show that throughout the county, children in care are enjoying successes.

Chris Hallett, head of Children in Need at Warwickshire County Council, said the awards were a way of saying 'well done' to those who deserve it."